Toronto Blue Jays fail to launch in Red Sox opener

The Toronto Blue Jays appeared to be running uphill through mud on Monday night against the Boston Red Sox. R.A. Dickey pushed through adversity to give the offense a chance, but Clay Buchholz and Koji Uehara limited the potent lineup to just five hits in the 3-1 loss.

Josh Donaldson provided the only offense for the Toronto Blue Jays, scoring Devon Travis with a double down the left-field line, but otherwise the bats failed to work in unison. Jose Bautista‘s slump at the plate extended as well, with an 0-for-4 night at the plate.

Marco Estrada will take the mound for Toronto on Tuesday and look to maintain his scorching hot pace. His 4-0 record through June lines up well with the Blue Jays’ 18-8 record in the month. Toronto’s offense has dozed off, but their season-long performance suggests they shouldn’t lay dormant for long.

39. Final. 3. 14. 1

Game Notes:

Goins got the start in left field, allowing Chris Colabello to play first with Edwin Encarnacion at DH. The return of Devon Travis could move Goins into a super-utility role across several positions.

After breezing through the first inning on 10 pitches, R.A. Dickey needed 10 pitches to handle

David Ortiz

alone in the top of the second. One of the best battles of the game ended in a sharp ground out to first with Chris Colabello making a goalie-style snag.

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Russell Martin was dinged with his 13th passed ball on the season during inning number two. Gaining comfort with the knuckleball is a year-long undertaking for Martin, but Dickey helped his catcher out with a strikeout on the next pitch.

Dickey found trouble in the next frame, loading the bases with two walks and a single. A double from Xander Bogaerts would push the Boston Red Sox out to a 2-0 lead. Dickey did well to force three straight pop-outs, though, avoiding an inning that could have been much worse.

Josh Donaldson broke the Blue Jays through in the bottom of the sixth, doubling home Devon Travis who had reached on an infield single. Jose Bautista just missed a home run in the next at bat, leaving Toronto with a 3-1 deficit.

The attendance of 27,107 was Toronto’s largest Monday Night crowd since the opener. The Red Sox factor is certainly at play, but the buzz around the Blue Jays is beginning to show up at the box office.

Grades:

OFFENSE . D-. Travis went 2-for-3 on the day with two singles and the Blue Jays’ lone run, which is more than enough to earn him the game ball amidst a pedestrian effort by the offense. Let’s give credit where it’s due, as well: Clay Buchholz pitched extremely well. With Russell Martin’s base running gaff at third and Travis being doubled up on a strike out and throw out with Ryan Goins at the dish, the Jays also did themselves no favors.. Game Ball. Devon Travis

C. Dickey was forced to grind through a sub-par knuckleball to secure a fairly average stat line, which has been the theme of many starts in 2015. Using 104 pitches through 6.0 innings, Dickey allowed three earned runs on six hits while issuing three walks and three strikeouts. The knuckler turned it on last July for a quality second half, but didn’t offer many signs on Monday to suggest that he was on the cusp of something greater. Regardless, three runs over six innings is enough for this offense on most nights and the outing was by no means a dud.. . R.A. Dickey. STARTING PITCHER

A. Liam Hendriks entered to start the seventh inning in relief of Dickey and performed extremely well. He was hitting 96 MPH with movement, then throwing off hitters with a nice curveball in the high-70s. After 1.2 clean innings from Hendriks, Brett Cecil took the ball to strike out David Ortiz and end the eighth. He would survive the ninth allowing just one hit while his curveball looked stronger than in previous outings. The situation was much more favourable than a closer’s role for Cecil, so expect to see more of that going forward.. Game Ball. Liam Hendriks, Brett Cecil. BULLPEN

MVJ: Liam Hendriks

Hendriks gets little attention, but his value has been immense thus far. His ability to bridge the gap between the sixth and eighth innings will be a huge asset down the stretch, especially when Roberto Osuna is in need of rest or being stored for a closing situation.

Next: Donaldson earns his throne atop 3B All Star voting!

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